GP clinics across northern Victoria could be forced to close under Labor’s destructive GP payroll tax.
I urge the Treasurer to immediately scrap the tax. It will severely impact regional GP clinics and the communities they serve.
I met with a local doctor in Bendigo recently who said that this tax will force many GPs to close their practices or increase fees to cover the tax.
In many rural areas of northern Victoria there is only one practice in a town. If they close, health services in these communities will disappear.
This tax will increase the cost of seeing a doctor when people are already struggling with rising living costs.
It will drive more patients to overwhelmed emergency departments and mean that some will not even go to a doctor, making matters even worse.
The industry has warned that the tax would put many practices out of business, end bulk-billing and increase the cost of seeing a doctor by almost 30 per cent.
It is a retrospective tax without any thresholds, with thousands of GPs facing payroll tax changes for the first time.
I am not surprised that medical clinics are considering legal action.
Gaelle Broad
Member for Northern Victoria
